How to get a better face to face outcome

By Debbie Mayo-Smith

Each and every day you negotiate.

From “which programme should we watch tonight” to “how much of a discount can I have?”

However or more important decisions such as salary reviews or getting staff members to work together, negotiation skills are an asset to hone to help you achieve better outcomes. Here is the first of a two part series on how to improve your negotiation success.

Be a Spice Girl. What do you really want?Before you even think of starting your negotiations nut out these three things:– Exactly what you want. Be concise. Write it down. Own it.– Your worst case scenario – what you will sacrifice or let go of– Very best case scenario – dare I say optimistic with which to start the negotiation.

Consider it a chess gamePreparation is key. Plan all your negotiation points, possible rebuttals and alternatives. Open with the points you’re happy to concede. The table is in your court. Be reasonable. Both parties need to feel they’ve been successful.

Use authoritative sourcesDrop in expert research or well known sources to back up your argument gives you credibility and increases your persuasiveness.

Face to face is best

You can’t see a twitch over the phone or anger set in while reading an email. Non verbal cues are so communication-rich they can really help you with your negotiations.

If you like this tip please share it with your friends and colleagues.